The Truth and The Truth Only
by Miss Katara x
Summary: The banished Prince and the Water Peasant, have a lot to learn from eachother. One betrayed and one alone.


Arc 1

Katara noticed that Zuko walked fast.

Maybe she'd just been ignorant after all these years of his fast pace, he had chased her around the entire world, yet there was still small little things she was learning about him every day.

He took long, anticipated strides through the trees. She could sense that something was wrong, just because he was a dark, angsty Prince didn't mask the fact that he was agitated.

"Would'ya slow down for just a second?" she called. She took to a run to try and catch up with his walking.

"No," was his reply.

Katara stopped mid-step and rolled her eyes. _So much for me trying to get along with him._ Huffing, she crossed her arms across her budding chest; "Why the rush, your highness?" she sneered.

He turned round and looked to the sky, indicating for her to follow his gaze. "It's going to rain," he stated. "The clouds are forming in a clumping position and they're notably darker," he paused for a minute to shake his bangs out of his cloak. "Didn't they teach you this back at the Water Tribe?"

She raised her eyebrows and clawed through her braid. It had become too humid for it to be kept up anyway, it curled with the stickiness. "We didn't worry about stuff like that, if it rained, it rained and if it didn't…" she shook her hair loose. "Then it didn't,"

When he didn't respond she met his gaze. He was staring at her blankly, his shoulders slightly less tight, more relaxed. He made a sighing purring sound in his throat, as if a heavy burden had just been lifted off his back. "Are you okay?" she asked quietly. Surprised at how small her voice had gotten. _Dammit Katara._

His shoulders hunched again and he walked towards her slowly. Her breath caught as he fingered a loose strand of her hair. Much to her horror she felt a blush rise up towards her cheeks. _He's not supposed to make me feel like this. Remember what he did to Aang._

"You used to wear your hair in loops," he stated simply. "I guess I miss them,"

Surprisingly she missed them too and found herself caught in a wave of sadness. "Me too," she replied sadly. "They're for little girls anyway and…well I'm just not that little girl standing on an iceberg anymore,"

"No," he responded, curling the strand around his forefinger. "You're not," His voice came as a blur. She could hear her throbbing heartbeat through her head; it muffled any ambience.

"They remind me too much of old times, I suppose,"

Zuko let out a dry chuckle. "Old times," he looked to the sky, fondly.

She smiled. "Just the thought of you with a ponytail makes me laugh,"

He frowned. "It wasn't a ponytail; it was a loose top knot,"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course, I apologise," she replied sarcastically.

And then there was nothing more to say.

As if he seemed to regain his direction of will, he let the curl drop and threw his cloak hood back over his head. "Anyway we need to hurry; if it's going to rain we need to get those groceries back before we get completely saturated by the storm,"

"Yeah," she agreed. Aang and Sokka needed their fuel-they were growing boys and the thought of The Duke going hungry made her feel quite queasy.

Arc 2

They reached the market at a reasonable pace, due to Zuko's continued fast strides. ("Okay, you're literally running now!" "Well at least I'm not moving at the pace of a Snail sloth!") Much to her bewilderment it was quite large-there was multitude of red and yellow rows. Flags and lanterns hung from building to building and there were a variety of different stalls each selling specific goods. Something sweet and spicy was being fried to her left and the smell led her into a daze. When was the last time she had eaten? She couldn't even remember.

"WATCH OUT!"

Zuko (or what she thought was Zuko) yanked her cropped top and pulled her to the side of the road. Katara snapped out of her daze and realised she had narrowly been missed being hit by an unbelievably fast cabbage cart.

"Spirits!" called a disgruntled man with a green turban on. He shook his fist at them angrily. "Lad, you should keep your girlfriend under better control! She almost bruised my cabbages!"

Zuko bit his lip and gave a formal Fire Nation bow. "I'm very sorry, sir. I apologise on behalf of her misconduct,"

The Cabbage man huffed and carried on his way through the streets. Katara made a face and flicked her hair behind her shoulders. "What a Jerk!" she exclaimed. "He could at least have given us a chance to explain,"

Zuko snorted, which was rare of him. His frame shook a little. "I'm sorry," he said when she glared at him. "I didn't…ah expose anything did I?" he mumbled, gesturing awkwardly to her chest.

She flushed worriedly, looked down and sure enough her bindings were in full view when he had yanked her to the side. Quickly she adjusted it. _Damn Zuko, what a dirty pervert._ She made a move to argue back, in her head she had a particularly colourful insult for him but he waved a hand at her carelessly. "Let's just get the stuff we need before the weather turns,"

She nodded and they were off.

It took a while to get all the objects they desired through the bustling market. Zuko had to elbow a man out of the way when he took too long at the cooked meat stand, but could she even blame him? It smelled so good anyway and there was no doubt that both of them were starving. She found herself noticing Zuko much more than she should have. The way his bangs shook with the sway of his head, or how his Adam's apple bobbed when he began to worry or sometimes when he was in deep thought his jaw tightened to form an angular line. Usually she didn't have too much of a hard time reading people. She was Katara. Understanding people on a personal level was what she dealt with every day; it was her role in the group.

But Zuko was different, he was a mystery.

He had detached himself from most of the members, refusing to open up to anyone and she just _couldn't_ figure him out. Ever since Ba Sing Se, understanding the troubled Prince had been one of her ultimate goals. But that seemed more than impossible now. He was hiding something. The comet was drawing closer so she had learnt to live with his impassiveness and anger in a way that suited the Prince just fine.

But not her.

Arc 3

"Just pick one fruit and let's go!" Zuko urged her in annoyance.

"Hmmm," she pondered. "I don't think I like the sound of that swishing," she admitted.

"Swishing is good!" the lady behind the stall butted in. "It indicates that the fruit is ripe,"

"No it doesn't," Zuko cut in. "Stop lying to people and be an honest Sales-woman," he muttered darkly.

Katara narrowed her eyes. "There's no need to be so rude Zu…" she caught herself. "Lee,"

He scowled. "Come on, Katara lets go buy some fruit someplace else,"

When she turned, reluctantly to follow his lead, the woman behind the counter called out for them. "No, no don't go! Lookie here, I've got some ripe Papaya for the young man and…"—

"I hate Papaya," Zuko and Katara answered in unison. She caught his gaze and laughed.

He smirked back, the corners of his mouth twitching upwards just the slightest which would have been a large grin from either Sokka or Aang.

"Don't I know you?" asked a man who bumped into Zuko for about the sixth time.

"No," Zuko replied bluntly and once again threw his hood over his head.

She glanced around worriedly. "We should go, Zuko,"

"I know, we've drawn enough attention to ourselves already," he filled in.

And they had, by the time they reached the end of the village. People were giving them strange looks; eyeing their state of dress (Zuko's suspicious cloak-"Why did you have to wear that!") And the amount of food that they both carried. (Enough to feed an army).

Once they had reached the edge of the village, she realised that Zuko's weather prediction had been correct as drops of liquid fell to the ground, trickling down her neck. She turned to Zuko, who was shaking his bangs as droplets and droplets fell off them and onto his jaw.

"Isn't this supposed to be the Fire Nation?" she retorted angrily. "It's always sunny!"

"It's the Monsoon season," he replied, loudly over the clapper of rain. "It rains constantly!"

Under her breath, she recited some colourful curses she had learnt from Bato's crew. Zuko let out a heavy sigh and jerked his head.

"Let's go," he ushered.

Arc 4

It was tricky for them both. Katara attempted to waterbend the rain away from the fruit, but she didn't have any spare hands to bend with. Frustrated, she placed the groceries down on the mud and made an arc of liquid to shield her head. It was futile. She was soaked again in a matter of seconds.

Zuko had stopped a few paces ahead of her and she could see his eyebrows soften a little at her pathetic attempts to keep dry. "There's no use!" he yelled. "I can't even hear myself think…" all Katara heard after that was a course of rumbling underneath the thunder.

She winced. "What?"

"We need to…" he rolled his eyes and gestured to the caved area on his right. _Oh right, take cover._

She understood now, the rain was getting so heavy that it stung as it made contact with her back and her clothes weighed her down as if they were sopping bags of water. She followed him willingly, carrying the selection of purchases. He took her loads as she came in.

"Are you alright?" she heard him ask.

"Yeah," she registered herself saying. "How are we going to get back?"

Zuko wrung out his tunic; it pattered on the cave floor- an impressive puddle. "We're not," he admitted sadly.

"What!" she cried. "You mean it doesn't stop?"

He smiled awkwardly. "Not till morning, no," He shook his bangs vigorously, vaguely mimicking Appa after a storm.

"Well, what do you suggest we do?"

Zuko paused in his efforts to dry himself off and then he smiled mischievously. For a moment she saw the strange, evil smirk that he had used back at their fight at the Spirit Oasis. _"Well, aren't you a big girl now?"_

"We could always make a run for it," he suggested.

She snorted. "Are you kidding? It felt like a million Yu Yan arrows in my back at once! There's no way I'm going out there,"

Zuko let out a benevolent sigh; he faced away from her at the cave mouth, where the rain ricocheted to their ears. "Then I suggest we make camp here for the night," he stated simply.

She wanted to protest but she knew in her head he was right. There was nothing she could do. And Aang would be restless if she didn't see him to bed.

Arc 5

She got cold quite quickly; in no time she had her legs drawn to her chest and she was shivering quite violently. Zuko had joked about it at first. ("And you call yourself a daughter of the Water Tribe?") But he eventually softened slightly and unwillingly took off his own cloak and gave it to her to conserve heat. His state of dress was nearing the bare minimum. His tunic was ruined from the storm, so he sat opposite her completely topless. She raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to get cold too? I can't take this?" she protested.

Zuko insisted that he was fine. "Believe me, Katara. You need it more than I do,"

Briefly she noted how much weight he had lost since he was still searching for the Avatar with his crew and ship. Maybe he was always like that under his armour. But even so, his shoulders seemed so much smaller and when he cupped his hands to his face to carry out a breath of Fire, she noticed how his ribs stuck out against his pale skin.

"You haven't been eating properly," she said. It wasn't a question, it was a statement.

He peered at her suspiciously. "How can you tell?"

The truth was, she knew people well. Growing up caring for her village and attempting to keep Aang, Sokka and Toph all together required quite a lot of physiological strain; she had gradually learnt to read people's body language as a survival technique.

"I guess I'm finally learning to read you," she replied honestly.

Zuko was silent for a while and for the briefest moment she thought she might've scared him off. He stared at the floor.

His guard was down, finally. _Time to find out the truth._ "What's really bothering you?"

He clenched his jaw. "This whole damn war, that's what,"

She sighed and combed through her thick hair with her fingers. "You're a good teacher, Zuko. I'm almost jealous that Aang is favouring your Firebending lessons instead of mine…"—

"That's not possible,"

"No really, he seems to enjoy it much more than he did before and…"—

"You're a terrible liar,"

"It's true,"

He scoffed and hugged his legs. "You and I both know that the Avatar's main desire is to pursue you," he breathed fire, gruffly. "As soon as he's defeated the Fire Lord, he'll declare undying love, "

She flinched. Her relationship with the young Avatar was a sensitive subject and to hear someone as intense as Zuko talk about it so lightly made her ponder on his opinion. "I don't have time to be the Avatar's dream woman," she retorted angrily. "I'm not some prize to be won. Besides I have a witch of a Princess to take down and a Fire Lord to kill,"

Her ferocity bought a smile to the Prince's face. "That's exactly it though. You don't intend to, but who you are is just…" he trailed off, the smile vanishing. "Special," he finished.

She blushed angrily but she held her head high all the same. "I wouldn't go that far,"

"It's true, though," he murmured quietly.

Arc 6

The rain still thundered on. It cast eerie like shadows across the cave walls and Zuko decided it was time to burn the last bits of Firewood they collected for camp. They had talked for a while, mainly about teaching methods, then they had moved onto the subject of Sokka's lame jokes and some other pointless topics like that. It carried on till they had stretched the limit of conversation past it's boundary until Zuko went unbearably silent for what seemed like eternity.

Finally he spoke.

"Come over here," he said quietly.

Confused, she obliged to his request and walked around the fire, still wrapped in his cloak, to drop next to him. "What's wrong?"

"Come closer," he rasped as if his throat was sore. It was breaking, she could tell. For a minute she shivered at his warm breath on her face, he looked like that boy under Ba Sing Se again.

"Zuko…" she began.

"No, please don't speak," he interjected. "It makes this a bit easier," He winced. "Well it was easier in my head anyway," He laughed dryly to himself.

She sighed; she knew what this was about. "Aang will be fine, Zuko, he knows what he has to do…"

Zuko scowled. "Agni Damnit, Katara, why do you always assume everything's to do with him?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "My whole life doesn't just revolve around him, you know,"

She frowned. "Your destinies are entwined, don't deny it,"

"You think I don't know that?"

She clenched her own jaw._ What was his problem?_ "Hey Zuko, what I'm doing now right, it's called being polite," she mocked.

"Listen, yeah, yeah I know," he said carelessly. "Please just hear me out, okay," he asked again in a more serious tone.

Unwillingly, she nodded.

Zuko closed his eyes for a long time, the grooves on his scar were highlighted with an ominous shadow and she stared at it for a long while.

"_Who are you, really?_ "She wanted to ask.

"I've spent a long time trying to come to terms with this…but I guess this is the only explanation I can think of. I don't want this to be a secret anymore. If I'm going to die during the comet, today or tomorrow or any day-then I at least want you to know this,"

She looked at him sincerely and all at once it seemed to click in her mind what he was implying.

"_No_," she began. "No, no, please don't say it,"

Tears were already welling up in her eyes; his scar seemed just a red wash of ink. She was too late anyway; he had already reached out and ran his fingers in a ghost-like manner down her cheek to cup her face. He caught the trail of tears that fell from her eyes.

It was all coming to sense now.

All those secret glances across the light of the camp fires, all those silent moments, how he swallowed whilst he talked to her, how meditated more than ever before. How long ago had this happened? A few months perhaps?

All this time…

For her…

"Why are you upset?" he asked, angrily. "_Normal_ girls would like being told this,"

She blinked harshly to stop the flow. _How dare he? How dare he just compare me to any old girl, when he fully well knows I'm not?_

"Let go of my hands," she snapped angrily.

Obediently, his grip on her wrist lightened and she slid out of his grasp as if he were poison. "Katara…"

"No,"

"Just…"

"No, I don't want to hear it,"

"What are you scared of?" he asked, cutting in.

_Um, I don't know…EVERYTHING._

"Nothing!"

"You're lying," his eyebrows dropped to a frown and Katara flinched at the truth. "You think I haven't learnt to read you, too,"

She bent some tears out of her eyes and turned away from him abruptly. "I can't believe…"

"Neither can I," he cut in.

She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I don't want to feel like this," he stated simply. It was the bluntest statement he had ever said. "I curse myself every day for these…emotions towards you. I don't have time to pursue _anyone_, not when there's a war going on. But your just" he trailed off, trying to find the right words. He wasn't blushing.

"Just what?"

Zuko seemed lost in thought; he hung his head deflated as if he had failed her. "I'm no good at this, Katara," he admitted. "I'm not a romantic man,"

"You're doing very well, actually," she replied.

Despite how scared she was, she wanted the truth.

Zuko seemed to regain some confidence after this. "It's just little snippets really. I like how you talk back to me. My voice usually carries some sort of finality, but you just…" he smiled fondly. "You just ignore that. And I love the fact that you always attract some much trouble-then Agni-forbid, you seem to find some stupid way out of it…"

"Wait what?"

But Zuko wasn't finished. "You're so sure of yourself, all the time. And when we spar…"he trailed off and shook his bangs in an embarrassed manner. "I'm making a fool of myself aren't I?

Katara was trailing a finger in the dirt. "Do you remember when we were in the catacombs of Ba Sing Se together?

Zuko seemed puzzled, but he nodded silently.

"For a moment, I saw you-the real you. The boy who wore an apron in his Uncle's teashop, the _man _who struggled for so long to just find his destiny. I never saw him again,"

"If you think I'm a liar, then you're wrong,"

"I want to believe you so badly,"

Zuko made a disgruntled noise and stood up harshly. His skinny frame shook with anger.

"This is the truth. This is me. I'm just Zuko. Underneath it all, I'm just a man and you're a woman. And since my Uncle left, you're the only person whose ever made me laugh," he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Have you taken all of that in? Because I will _not_ being doing that again,"

She crossed her arms over her legs. "I believe you,"

Zuko's expression softened. "So do you…?"

She felt tears blurring her vision again. Zuko was such a complicated person, he lead by his heart, not his head, he was dangerous. And also there was that complicated dwell on Aang…

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I've never been in love before,"

Zuko stared at her for a long while, she saw his ribs against his skin rise and deflate with each inhale he took. "I love you," he said quietly.

Her stomach flipped and she blinked against the ground.

"Look at me," he commanded. He didn't sink, more as crumple to the ground next to her.

When she didn't he took her wrist again. He was too scared to touch her hands. "Isn't it strange, how the girl who could look me so assuredly in the eye all those moons ago at the Spirit Oasis, can't bring herself to do it now?"

It took so much effort to, but she managed it.

He got closer; she could see how striking his scar was against his ghostly complexion and for one _perfect moment _it was just them. His forehead against hers, the brush of the wound against her own cheek. His hand came up to cup her jaw; he was tender and careful with her; as if she would blow away any minute.

Had he ever been this gentle before? With anyone?

A warm flush filled her stomach. _He could have anyone. He's a prince, girls back in the Fire Nation would line up at the gates for a just a hope of this moment._

_This is him. He's finally being honest._

In the smallest moment, his lips brushed the corner of her mouth.

Reality struck.

She hadn't realised the whirl of water wrapped around her until Zuko was against the wall, his eyes wide with surprise, and a gash of blood dripping from his hand.

_What?_ His eyes seemed to say.

She didn't answer, instead she held her water firm around her for protection. She was in shock. She wanted to tell him the same she had done to Aang-(I'm sorry, but right now I'm just a little confused,") but she couldn't.

It was his fault.

In a flash she gathered her water and struck him. And again. Then another time. She wasn't quite sure if they were doing him any damage but then again she didn't know if she wanted them too. They were pathetically weak shots, just a splash really.

In preparation to strike him again, a sure, warm hand snatched her wrist. _I'll save you from the pirates._

Zuko stared down at her. Intensity radiated off him. He looked hurt, but there was some wildness and excitement in there that she hadn't noticed before.

"If you want to fight then let's fight,"

Arc 7

Many times had Prince Zuko imagined this moment.

She put up a great fight; he had to defend himself all the time, narrowly missing the slices of ice discs spin past his neck. But he dodged and ran with the speed and agility that only the Blue Spirit could muster.

_Exhilaration._

She would deflect his blasts as if batting away sugar-wasps. But he was sneaky, like the traitorous Prince he was made out to be. He found angles and times when she would falter just the slightest, then he would strike.

_Remember to breathe._

When she sent whips of water at his torso, he reflected it right back with his own. Made of fire, of course.

Through the rain, Katara cocked her head with an eerie smirk. Her eyes seemed to say-"I can do even better," and she promptly kicked the water in front of her to mimic his Firebending and much to his surprise the water responded with the same intensity of her previous offence.

_She knows. She can see straight through me. But she hates me. Or does she?_

The match was soon to come to a close, they were both exhausted. Katara's chest rose and fell in time with her animalistic pants whereas he lacked the strength to do even that. In a flash, they were at each other's throats. Flames were in the Prince's fist, flickering in the rain like the ones he had used against Azula on the ship._ It seems like a lifetime ago now._ He matched her own strength through the multitude of ice-needles she had against his throat.

They had reached a deadlock.

Briefly he noted how beautiful she looked in her combat gear before him.

Her hair had come out of her braid, it fell in uneven strands, plastered to her _perfect _face and her clothes hung off her heavily. She had a gash on her face from where she had cut herself on a rock, but apart from that she seemed untouched. _Did I really not touch her at all?_

_Zuko, you're becoming too weak. I've become passive._

Any lesser man would have ushered her inside, but the Prince found himself needing Katara beside him in battle more than any other time. She belonged to the battlefield, to danger. To him.

Katara's necklace flashed at him. It matched the ferocity in her eyes.

Hesitantly Zuko lowered his fire.

_I can't do this anymore._

_Everything_ that had stopped him from loving her before, any barrier of Pride and conflict that held him back just flowed away like the rain.

"We can't keep…"—

"No!"

Katara had her water still raised, she moved closer to him. As if daring him to say anymore. She was ready to strike. But there was something in her eyes, a weakness. Months of studying her, allowed him to decipher this.

Her voice was quieter this time. "Don't,"

But then she was in his arms.

She cried into him through the rain. He kissed her hair over and over again, then butterflies kisses down her jaw. _This is it right now, what perfection is meant to feel like._

Regaining confidence, Katara reached up and pressed her lips softly, _ever so softly_, against his scar. Her lips lingered there longer than necessary and he let out a soft groan when she pulled away.

"I want you to kiss me," she asked quietly.

Willing to oblige to whatever demand she might have, he nodded.

"With someone who loves me," she said again. "For the first time,"

He leaned in and poured everything he wanted to say into her. Her lips were warm, they were scented and she laughed as his bangs tickled her forehead.

"Fight by my side tomorrow," he stated bluntly. _It will be us against the world._

She nodded. "I'll pretend to look surprised,"

_Everything I've ever done has bought me closer to this moment. I have NO regrets._

Arc 8

The wild look.

The spark flew.

The lightning struck.

He ran.

For her.


End file.
